- Aug 2, 2011
- 129
- 16
I have coached rec. ball for young girls for a few years and I would like to get some input about how to teach basic hitting. For starters, I would just like to get input from those who agree with my premise which is: girls from 6-10 are not able to master more advanced hitting and should not be taught it at this stage. They need about 3 or 4 things to keep in mind and swing hard. All of the more advanced techniques like the foot tap, the negative move are beyond these girls. I just sat through the 10U ASA tryouts for a local team here and not a single girl could even make contact consistently. They were all late, the swing was in the arms, and they had narrow inconsistent stances. They all needed to start over and here is what I would have told them: knocking knuckles grip w/bat in fingers not palms, make sure it is not tight and that the whole body is relaxed. Wide stance, elbows relaxed and down, front foot slightly open. The swing is triggered by the rotation of the back hip and knee and it should be aggressive. I have been watching plenty of vid's of Pujols and other that are beautiful but of no use to girls this age. That kind of perfect swing takes 1000's of hours of practice. It seems to me that even with a technically bad swing the girls should be able to see the ball and make contact. One thing that I know is causing a swing and miss is an early rotation of the shoulders clockwise (right handed) which is a type of loading, but invariably causes them to lose sight of the ball, be late and miss badly. I have a few drills like the "double turn" drill to teach them to start the swing with the back hip and follow with the hands. What little video I have filmed I have not seen them start w/ the hips. It is really tough to not get them to start the swing with the arms.
Thanks, Jim
Thanks, Jim